To See an Elephant

There is a parable that pops up in various traditions called “The Blind Men and an Elephant.” In this story, a group of blind men come across an elephant for the first time, each touching it in different places. As a result, each assumes what an elephant is like based on what they feel. One said his trunk was like a giant snake; another said his legs were like a tree trunk, and so forth, as each reported what they “saw” with their hands. Therefore, the elephant seemed entirely different for each of them based on their experience.

When you come to visit the Midwest Genealogy Center, you encounter a team of passionate genealogy helpers who each have experienced their genealogy journey down different paths. Though we are growing in our common research skills in this field, we still have different strengths. Each of us at Midwest Genealogy Center, privileged to wear a staff ID tag, has already gained certain basic knowledge because of the paths of our family research, and helping others has contributed to the bank of information in our heads. We all see the elephant of genealogy through this research, continuing to experience the totality in new ways as we grow in our field. Our branch managers make it a priority to continually provide learning experiences to expand our awareness of the truly amazing and growing collection that we have here. A synergistic sharing between the staff keeps us communicating daily on new developments and expanding our knowledge base so that we can pass along what we have learned to our customers.

Sometimes, someone walks in or calls in to research something specialized; amazingly, the staff person with specific knowledge in that particular area is there to help! However, each staff member here can help you spin your research questions differently. So, do not hesitate to ask questions of anyone and everyone on duty. Our staff knowledge is a potent information bank, along with the myriad of resources we have here and online.

In the past few years, our center has had quite a lot of physical change and growth. We have relocated sections while growing our collection. We have added some compact shelving and a new map room to expand storage capacity. In addition, there are aids such as our new Memory Lab to help record stories and preserve memories. To learn more, you can experience our in-person Midwest Genealogy Center, where you get a grand tour of the facility. You can come to our Hidden Treasures classes each month, which point out obscure gems within the Midwest Genealogy Center’s collection. Your society can request an online Virtual Tour class or come for a group tour.

We invite you! Come and experience our massive Midwest Genealogy Center “Elephant!”

Twila R.
Midwest Genealogy Center